Patient adjustable foot section for articulated beds



Oct. 26, 19 4s.

R. RVFREUND PATIENT ADJUSTABLE FOOT SECTION FOR ARTICULATED BEDS Filed Aug. 11, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 35 INVENTOR. Faafiff 7? FkEu/YD,

' flrrafi/vffsi R. R. FREUND Oct. 256, 1948.

PATIENT ADJUSTABLE FOOT SECTION FOR ARTICULATED BEDS Filed Aug. 11, 1944 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I v I l/Kil IVENTOR. Razz-Kr A. f7m/m Patented Oct. 26, 1948 UNl'liEl) STATES PATENT! OFFICE;

PATIENT ADJUSTABLE FOOTSECTION "FOR ARTICULATED' BEDS Robert R. Freund, Mount Carmel, Ill.

Application August 11, 1944, Serial No. 548,985

9 Claims.

This invention relatesto an adjustable. foot rest section for an articulated bed suitable for hospital and like use.

The chiefobject of this invention is to provide an articulated bed or chair structure with an adjustable foot rest which is patient adjustable. Such a bed'or chair canhave its several articulated sections arranged horizontally for bed and like use and with its foot rest section extended for foot board purposes. When the articulated sections are patient adjusted for sitting up purposes the foot rest section may be patient adjusted for foot support. Also, when the articulated sections are in bed formation, the foot-rest sectionmay be moved toward the head so that the patient can apply foot pressure against said foot rest section for certain forms of therapeutic treatment.

The chief feature of the present invention resides in adjustablysupporting a foot rest section upon a tiltable leg section and providing means which are patient controlled, whereby said foot rest section maybe patient adjusted as desired or required.

Other objects and features of the invention will be set forth more fully hereinafter.

The full nature of the invention will be-understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an articulated bed or chair in the sitting position and provided with apatient adjustable foot rest section embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof and with parts in section.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the foot rest section and its support (a tiltable leg section).

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of approximately half of the above sections.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the pantograph, power, etc., utilized for foot rest adjustment.

InFig. l of the drawings It indicates aframe having support means II and I2. Pivotally supportedby said frame is a head and ,backsection l3.v A seat section [4 is similarly supported. Plvoted upon the seat section at I5 is the leg section, l6. Each of the --aforesaid sections is independently adjustable relative toeach other and the frame, as set forth in copending application Serial No. 537,220 filed 'May 25, 1944.

A control unit I! has members I8 for selective control of suchpower means utilized for section ovement. Herein the bed'isprovidedwith a mbined readingdesk-and. lavatory fixture I9,

2. supported by arms carriedbyback section l3 as at 20.-

Reference will now be had more particularly to Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive.- Leg section I6 supports by suitable means-2| amattress portion 22. The foot rest section 23 includesthe side frame members or portions 24 that are connected bythe board portion 25 and thelower edge of the latter lies slightly abovethe upper surface of mattress 22 so that section 23' can pass over same as the foot sectionis adjustedtoward thehead of the bed or chair.

The leg section I B has its side plates reenforced by box means 26, see-Fig. 2, and depending therefrom are the inwardly'directed angles 21. Each side member or portion 240i the foot section rotatably supports at 28 21. pinion' 28 that meshes with rack-3il carried by the under face of the box structure. i

The leg section It suitably supportsa cross bar 56 mounting locating collars 5|, which retain eye 52 in central location. Rigidtherewith is the'head 53 ofthe central cylinder 3| having, opposite head port-ion 32 from which projects piston rod 33 carrying in the cylinder a piston (not shown). Pressure fluid can be applied thereto by'the combination intake and exhaust 34, or held in the cylinder as-desired by suitable valve mechanism- One ofv the control members [8 at station H, see Fig. 1, may be utilized for this, purpose.

Herein the leg section l6 includes near the outer corners inwardly directed. plates 35v of angles 21 and pivoted on each plate at 3B is a bar. 31 that extends toward the opposite side. and terminates inan end portion 38 with an elongated slot 39 longitudinally directed thereof. Intermediate the ends is the laterally enlarged elongated central portion 4D with. longitudinally directed elongated slot. 4| therein.

The foot rest section-side members24 have inwardly directed extensions 42, which .carry headed pins 43-:that ride in slots 39. Pin- 44 rides in both slots 4| and is carried by clevis 45 connected-topiston rod 33. A spring 46 isconnectedat one end to the central portion .ofthe leg section and at its opposite end to the pin 44 or clevis 45.

Regardless of the relative position .of; the-leg section, spring 46 always tends to draw thelazy tongs or :pan-tographstructure toward. the collapsed position and which corresponds to the foot section .fully extended position. When, fluid pressure is. applied to intake 34, the piston therein is moved toward the frame in opposition to spring 46 and the crossed rods 31 are caused to assume an open or extended relation as shown in Fig. 5.

When the piston has moved its full stroke, the foot rest portion will have been moved to its other extreme position. When fluid pressure application is stopped in an intermediate position of the piston, the foot rest section will have an intermediate position.v The section-is held in such intermediate or final position in opposition to the spring, by cutting off pressure supply and holding the pressure fluid in the cylinder. Upon release or exhaust of the cylinder pressure the spring returns the parts to the extended foot rest position, unless such release or exhaust is stopped before same is attained.

Note that the pinions and racks insure nonbinding and facilitate foot rest section movement. Note also, as previously described, the foot board portion of the foot rest section overrides the leg section and its mattress as well as covers, there being enough clearance therebetween for that purpose. Note also that clevis 45 straddles central portions 40 of the rods 31.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in great detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is-to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character.

The several modifications described herein as Well as others which will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art, all are con sidered to be within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A foot board for a bed structure extending across the same and movable longitudinally thereof, side members at opposite sides of the structure and supporting the board in elevated relation with respect to said structure for clearance purposes, and means for moving said board longitudinally of said structure, said means including a pair of crossed links, means for collapsing and extending said links, one end of the links being connected to the side members and the other end of said links being connected to the bed structure, the collapsing and extending means includingcylinder and piston means having one end connected to the bed structure and the other end of said cylinder and piston means being connected to the central portions of said links by an elongated slot andpin connection.

2. A foot board for a bed structure extending across the same and movable longitudinally thereof, side members at opposite sides of the structure and supporting the board in elevated relation with respect to said structure for clearance purposes, and means for moving said board longitudinally of said structure, said means including a pair of crossed links, means for collapsing and extending said links, one end of the links being connected to the side members and the other end of said links being connected to the bed structure, one of the connections being of pivotal character and the other of elongated slot and pin character, the collapsing and extending means including cylinder and piston means having one end connected to the bed structure and the other end of said cylinder and piston means being connected to the central portions of said links by an elongated slot and pin connection.

3. Mechanism as defined by claim 1 wherein there is provided spring means normally constraining the foot board towardone extreme position relative to the bed structure and opposing the cylinder and piston means movement toward the other extreme position.

4. Mechanism as defined by claim 2 wherein there is provided spring means normally constraining the foot board toward one extreme position relative to the bed structure and opposing the cylinder and piston means movement toward the other extreme position.

5'.- A foot board for a bed structure extending across the same end movable longitudinally thereof, side members at opposite sides of the structure and supporting the board in elevated relation with respect to said structure for clearance purposes, and means for moving said board longitudinally of said structure, spring means normally constraining the foot board toward one extreme position relative to the bed structure and opposing movement toward the other extreme position, power extensible means operating in opposition to said spring means, and a rack and pinion connection between each of the side members and the bed structure and at opposite sides of the latter, for prevention of binding between the relatively movable foot board and the bed structure.

6. Mechanism as defined by claim 1 wherein there is provided spring means normally constraining the foot board toward one extreme position relative to the bed structure and opposing the cylinder and piston means movement toward the other extreme position, a rack and pinion connection between each of the side members and the bed structure and at opposite sides of the latter for the prevention of binding between the relatively movable foot board and bed structure.

7. Mechanism as defined by claim 1 wherein there is provided spring means normally constraining the foot board toward one extreme p0sition relative to the bed structure and opposing the cylinder and piston means movement toward the other extreme position, and a rack and pinion connection between each of the side members and the bed structure and at opposite sides of the latter for the prevention of binding between the relatively movable foot board and the bed structure, each rack portion being carried by a side of the bed structure and the associated pinion portion being carried by the adjacent side member and inwardly thereof.

8. In a bed structure having a foot board extending across the structure and movable longitudinally thereof and side members at opposite sides of the structure and supporting the foot board in elevated relation to saidstructure for clearance purposes, the combination therewith of means for moving said board longitudinally of said structure, said means including a pair of crossed links each having a length of the order approximately that of the length of the board or bed width, means disposed centrally of the structure and directed longitudinally thereof and for collapsing and extending said links, one end of each link being pivotally connected to a side member and the other end of each link being pivotally connected to the bed structure, one of the two pivotal connections for each link being of the pin and slot type, and pin and slot connections between the links where crossed and the said centrally disposed means for simultaneous movement of the links and corresponding movement of the foot board.

9. A structure as defined by claim 8 wherein the centrally disposed longitudinally directed means for collapsing and extending the links comprises a pressure fluid operable cylinder, .piston and piston rod pivotally connected at one end to that portion of the bed structure associated with the foot board side members and at its other end connected to the pin and slot connection between the links where crossed, and spring means also connected at one end to the last mentioned link crossing connections and having the other end operatively connected to the foot board supporting portion of the bed structure.

ROBERT E. FREUND.

6 REFERENCES CITED The fofiowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Daniels May 29, 1855 Parmelee Dec. 17, 1889 Goodwin June 2, 1891 Cling July 23, 1907 Thomas Nov. 14, 1933 Gieleghem Dec. 24, 1940 

